Grant Manship

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Live at The Basement

It's taken me a while to post about but I had a chance to check out Albert Hammond, Jr.'s solo set at The Basement last week in Columbus.  Yours To Keep has been in constant rotation since I got a copy of the UK release last year.  Considering how great the songs on the record are, I couldn't wait to see how Albert and his band would sound live.  After The Mooney Suzuki warmed up the fans, Albert's, "band of merry men," took the stage followed by their enigmatic front man. 

The venue made sure the show was definitely up close and personal.  The area in front of the basement's stage looks like a very small conversation pit that probably houses around 20 fans.  For fans not in the pit, it can be a fairly difficult place to get a clear glimpse of the stage.  It definitely has a dark, underground feel.  Hence the name I guess... 

Arcade Fire - Neon Bible & Wake Up

(via The Take-Away Shows)

Ben Kweller - Penny On The Train Track

Starring Ben Kweller's remarkable 82 year old grandmother, Bubbie.

Setlist for Yo La Tengo's WFMU Marathon, All-Request Webcast

The good professor, Ken Katkin, kept track of Yo La Tengo's annual all-request set on WFMU last Friday and has provided it for reprint here!  During the annual event, listener's who make a pledge of at least $100 can request that the band cover a song of the listener's choosing, Yo La Tengo style. They do their best to come up with an arrangement of their own on the spot.  You can take a look at the Professor Katkin's note and results below and if anyone out there snagged a copy of the webcast, please let me know! 

I tried to keep score at home in real time as Yo La Tengo played their annual all-request set on WFMU this year.  With a little help from the google search engine and some readers of the WFMU Blog and metafilter, I think I have now named every tune the band played.  Thanks to metafilter poster Kowalski for identifying the three Traffic songs excerpted in the second-set medley with "Mr. Soul," and also for the 10,000 Maniacs pickup in the closing medley.  Thanks to blog-reader Tim for identifying the Willie Nelson instrumental track (also covered by Patsy Cline) that opens the fifth set, which Ira identified on-air as " 'Crazy,' but not the one that was requested."  Thanks to blog-reader Brett for identifying the Rodgers and Hammerstein a capella number that Ira sang just before the medley at the end, which I was unable to identify myself.  Given that this last song made the Billboard Top 100 for five different artists (Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Patti Labelle & the BlueBelles, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and the Broadway cast of "Carousel"), I feel especially sheepish about my inability to i.d. it.   With those caveats, here's my final (revised) scorecard:    

Favorite New Release of the Week - Mar. 20th, 2007

Panda Bear - Person Pitch

Person Pitch reminds me, and probably a lot of other people, of Pet Sounds.  Not necessarily for how the songs sound but more for the inventive spirit that each album showcases.  The same odd sunshine that Brian Wilson was able to capture and put on anything he wanted while helming the Beach Boys is front and center on this record as well.

The word ethereal comes to mind when trying to describe the melodies found all over this record.   There is also a constant feeling of celebration on the record.  Panda Bear has recently found himself in the midst of a new found role as a family man in his new home in Lisbon, Portugal.  It certainly sounds like a very exciting time in his life.  The love he has found as a husband and father comes shining through in the music.

It also feels like there is a lot of patience on this record.  Patience to make sure things were done correctly and everything is in its right place.  The 12 minute "Bros" is a perfect example of this.  Panda Bear is in no hurry to get anywhere until things are just right.  You will have to set aside lots of time to give this record the time that it deserves.

• Panda Bear - "Comfy In Nautica" from Person Pitch

Buy Person Pitch at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Ratatat - Live at the Southgate House

So when was the last time you were at the Southgate House and witnessed stage divers, crowd surfing, and a band's drunken friend stagger onto the stage only to collapse and take some of the bands equipment with him?  Yeah, I couldn't remember when the last time that happened was either.  The Southgate House consistently puts on some of the best shows in the area but last nights Ratatat show was on a whole other level.

The evening began with Definitive Jux's artist Despot  who is the self-described, "Napoleon of this rap shit".  As he stalked the stage sporting a bright orange, Ratatat emblazoned foam finger he progressively won over the crowd as everyone filtered in.  After a few unsuccessful, albeit lighthearted, attempts to get the opposing Cincinnati/Newport residents to fight he unleashed the highlight of his set, "Crap Artists".

Next up was Professor Murder.  I absolutely loved their song "Free Stress Test" from last year but didn't really know what to expect from them live.  Needless to say, they didn't disappoint.  Their live act is a non-stop dance party which served as the perfect bridge between Despot's rhymes and Ratatat's searing, electronic instrumentation.

• Professor Murder - "Champion" from Professor Murder Rides The Subway

After what seemed like a never-ending wait, Ratatat finally took the stage before the natives got too restless.  I had heard lots of good things about the band's live show but nothing could have prepared me for what was an absolute blast!  As I mentioned previously, the crowd went nuts with stage diving and crowd surfing eventually taking place.  One of the stranger and certainly hilarious moments of the night came when the band's friend Ben (or possibly Dan?) made his way onto the stage.  He appeared to be fairly intoxicated but it wasn't until, while leaning on a couple of the band's amps, he tumbled backwards taking the amps with him.  He remained passed out for a while making it clear just how wasted he was.  He eventually recovered to stagger around the stage, take off his shirt, do some strange dancing,  nearly go through the movie screen on stage, and then do a little crowd surfing of his own. 

Mike Stroud's guitar playing is obviously great on record but live, it's nothing short of incredible.  His stage presence and energy transcends a majority of what any of his contemporaries are even remotely close to accomplishing.   Throughout the evening, Stroud seemed to be channeling a lot of spirit from Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, and maybe even a little from Eddie Van Halen for good measure (when Van Halen wasn't so lame).  His amps certainly go to 11, that's for sure!  All in all, it was an amazing performance from the band as well as their drunken friend.  The crowd certainly couldn't have been happier and did everything in their power to return the favor.

• Ratatat - "Seventeen Years" from Ratatat

P.S.  If anyone has any photos or video footage from last night, please share! My camera was sadly MIA.

Amie Street

I recently read about a new online independent music store called Amie Street.  The site and it's business model both look extremely promising. 

The basic premise is this, artists upload their songs which can be downloaded for free in the beginning but then the price of those songs fluctuates based on demand.  The maximum price a song will ever have is set at 98 cents.  Users of the site receive recommendation tokens for every dollar they put into the system and then free credits for music if the songs they recommend to other users go up in price.  Best of all, the music is completely DRM-free and can be played on any mp3 player.  In regards to the artists, they receive an astounding 70% of sales after an initial $5 is made.

Since the site's main goal is to encourage music lovers like ourselves to discover new music and then recommend that music to our friends, I say head over to the site and get busy!  I've enjoyed perusing the site so far and will report back with my recommendations as I make them.

Menomena - Wet and Rusting

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Behind Closed Doors

Wojo Playing at the Southgate House Tonight!

Local favorites Wojo and Lonely the Seabird, along with Lexington, KY based Tula, are playing at the Southgate House tonight.  The doors open at 9 PM and it will only cost you $5.  If my calculations are correct that is approximately $1.666 per band.  1 dollar and 666 cents per band, how rock and roll is that!?!  Enjoy the show!

• Wojo - "Long Month of Sundays" from Borderlands
• Lonely the Seabird - "Pretention" from 50 Years - EP

David Vandervelde and Richard Swift prepare for US Tour

Fresh off the heals of their current UK tour, David Vandervelde and Richard Swift will be back stateside to embark on a US tour in April.  Both of them have put out excellent albums this year and their live shows only enhance what you've heard on record.  The end of these tours won't mean a letdown for either of these artists though.  They both have new singles coming out just in time for summer. 

Richard Swift's 3-song "Kisses For The Misses" 7" single off of Dressed Up For The Letdown will be out May 22nd.  To celebrate, Secretly Canadian is making one of the B-sides - Swift's awesome take on Prince's "Paisley Park" - available as a free MP3 for a limited time.

• Richard Swift - "Paisley Park (Prince Cover)" from Kisses For The Misses - 7" Single

David Vandervelde is following suit by releasing "Nothin' No" as his second single from The Moonstation House Band on June 19th.  Never ones to shy away from that charitable spirit, Secretly Canadian is also giving away a couple of excellent freebies in anticipation of this release as well.  You can download "Nothin' No" and the blistering version of "Feet of a Liar" from David's recent Daytrotter session for free right now.  The aforementioned songs, as well as a new song called "Cute Pretender" and the beautiful "Dancing Sea Gulls Instrumental" will also be featured on the disc.  I picked up a copy of this single during David's stop in Cincinnati and both of these tracks are excellent.

• David Vandervelde - "Nothin' No" from Nothin' No - Single
• David Vandervelde - "Feet of a Liar (Daytrotter Version)" from Nothin' No - Single

So there you go, three great songs from two amazing artists.  Now get busy and figure out which of the following shows you're going to make it to.

Hot Chip Side Project Pays Homage to Devo

Members of Hot Chip, performing under the pseudonyms Georgios Panayiotou and Mother Markzbow, have formed a duo entitled Booji Boy High and just released their first single on DFA Records.  This supposedly elusive duo (this year's Gnarls Barkley maybe?) pay homage to Devo with references to Booji Boy and the name Mother Markzbow. 

Booji Boy was a theatrical character introduced in Devo's first music video, The Truth About De-Evolution and popped up throughout the band's career in various capacities.  In regards to one of the members names, Mother Markzbow is a clever anagram derived from the name of Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh.

Check out the B-Side of the single below:

• Booji Boy High - "Twist Myself Again" from Doublshaw - Single

Panda Bear - Bros

Happy Birthday Abby!

Twisted Sister - "I Wanna Rock" from Stay Hungry

Kings of Leon - On Call

(via Stereogum)

Other Notable Releases of the Week - Mar. 6th, 2007

There are two other releases that caught my eye this week that I haven't been able to give my full attention to yet.  The first is The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible which I'm sure you've already heard plenty about unless you've been living under a rock.  The second release that I'm excited about is Air's fourth proper studio effort, Pocket Symphony.  Whether I'll ever get a couple of formal reviews together for these albums remains to be seen but until then, enjoy the following tracks from each album.

• The Arcade Fire - "Black Mirror" from Neon Bible
• Air - "Once Upon A Time" from Pocket Symphony

Favorite New Release of the Week - Mar. 6th, 2007

Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours to Keep

When I heard that Albert Hammond Jr. had offered up the songs found on Yours to Keep to his bandmates in The Strokes during the recording of First Impressions of Earth, I was surprised to find they weren’t more accepting.  This was especially true considering Albert co-wrote one of the best tracks on Room on Fire, “Automatic Stop”.  My surprise was prior to actually hearing the songs so I chose to wait before placing judgment.  Now that I’ve heard the tracks, I’m extremely surprised they weren’t more interested in using some of the songs.

From the very beginning, Albert sets us all up for the kill with the dreamy SoCal sounds of “Cartoon Music for Superheroes”.  Just as the song gently lulls you to sleep, he wakes you up and tells you to get moving with “In Transit”.  That’s exactly how you’ll feel when “In Transit” gets going.  Just as the name suggests, you’ll find yourself with the urge to put the proverbial pedal to the metal.

The album is a breath of fresh air and certainly one of the most enjoyable records I’ve listened to in a long time.  It’s clear that Albert’s creativity hasn’t floundered in his support role with the Strokes.  Instead, it appears that he’s been quietly crafting his own exceptional brand of music. 

I immediately fell in love with the ukulele infused, Beatles-esque “Call An Ambulance”.  I’m also very fond of “Scared” which features fellow Stroke, Julian Casablancas, on bass and backing vocals.  There are several other guest appearances on the record like Sean Lennon’s backing duties on “Back to the 101”.  The subdued album closer “Hard to Live In The City” describe Albert’s search for an unknown beauty in the city.  The more somber mood of the song almost brings the party to a close but then the multi-instrumental freak out at the end reminds you to keep that smile on your face.  The US version of the album also includes covers of Buddy Holly's, "Well... All Right" as well as Guided By Voices', "Postal Blowfish".  These extras are nice bonuses to a debut I didn't think could get any better.

All I can say is that regardless of how any future songs are received by his bandmates in the Strokes, Yours to Keep is a clear indication that Albert has a very bright solo career ahead of him should he choose to pursue it.  Here’s to hoping that he does.

• Albert Hammond, Jr. - "In Transit" from Yours to Keep

Buy Yours to Keep at: iTunes | Amazon | Insound

Deerhoof - The Perfect Me